Chapter 301 – Following your Instincts (1)

'They're flying back up.'

The Caro Kingdom's crown prince Valentino. He watched as the white skeleton birds that were floating above the Empire's forces fly back up into the sky.

He could also see light shining down on the faces of the Empire's forces again as the birds had been covering up the sun.

"Your highness, I will be on my way as well."

'What? Hilsman?'
Crown prince Valentino watched Vice Captain Hilsman floating up into the sky.

– Vice Captain! The human said to make sure I don't leave you behind!

Hilsman listened to Raon's voice and thought about his lord that was looking for him.
It was time for him to get involved in the war as well.

"This-"

Crown prince Valentino and his knights blankly watched Hilsman fly away.
The Vice Captain no longer had the silly expression on his face as it was replaced with a serious expression fitting a highest-grade expert.

"Please take care of the rest."

Crown prince Valentino returned to his senses as Hilsman quietly whispered to him and quickly started to shout.

"Capture that person! He is a subordinate of the bastard who tried to kill Adin!"

He then looked around.
He made eye contact with Imperial Prince Adin.

Valentino walked toward him with a concerned expression on his face.
He needed to remain as Adin's close friend for now. It was not yet time for Valentino to stab Adin in the back.

Clang!
Clang!

"Follow his highness's orders!"

He could hear his subordinates playing along as he urgently rushed toward Adin.
He looked around as he did that.

People looked shocked at this unexpected development.
However, that shock was slowly disappearing from their faces.

Valentino paid close attention to the soldiers, knights, and nobles.

He could see the changes in their expressions.
Fear and disbelief replaced shock.

Black magic and Saint Jack.
The people of the Empire slowly started to suspect and question things after seeing both of them.

'Amazing.'

Valentino could not hide his shock toward Cale's side. At the same time, he could not help but loathe the Empire even more.

'They've done too many dirty things.'

He started to speak to Adin who was touching his neck.

"Are you okay?"

Adin slightly nodded his head and started to shout toward the other side.

"Do not let the enemy's words shake you!"

The Empire's forces looked toward him, even though his words could not stop their shaking hearts.

"Why is alchemy black magic? It is the pillar that has supported the Empire for hundreds of years! Don't forget that it was the only place to reach out to help the children of the slums!"

The chaos died down a bit.
The children of the slums and Honte who was the evidence of the program's success. Honte was alive and well as he shouted from next to the Imperial Prince.

"I just used regular magic. The mages here would have felt an evil aura if it was black magic!"

The people could see the mages nodding their heads. The Captain of the Mage Brigade spoke up.

"It was not black magic."

It was a black arrow, but it did not have that unique evil aura of black magic. He also did not detect any dead mana. The testimony of the Mage Brigade Captain who had been nearby calmed the chaos down.

"I came here to repay the Empire for the grace it has shown me!"

Honte continued to shout.
The Imperial Prince had a rare look of urgency as he started to shout. His shout woke everyone up from their shock.

"We are currently on the battlefield! We must get rid of them in order to survive!"

In order to survive.
That phrase jerked people out of their shock.

"Knights, raise your swords! Soldiers, pick up your weapons!"

Adin actively moved around to rally the troops. The Empire's forces returned to their original alert selves thanks to his efforts.
However, the questions and suspicions had not disappeared.

Adin continued to shout.

"Golems and mages obliterate those evil enemies!"

Enemies.
He was talking about Cale's group up in the sky.
At the center of Cale's group… Cale was standing on top of the largest white skeleton bird.

Crackle. Crackle.
Fire and light were clashing around his body.
It prevented Cale's group from approaching him as well. Choi Han got goosebumps on his arms. He could feel a strong power coming from Cale. He subconsciously asked a question.

"Cale-nim, are you okay?"

Cale looked toward the pale Choi Han.

'He was almost bewitched?'

Raon had told Cale that Choi Han was almost bewitched by the black despair. Cale tried to nod his head to say he was fine. Someone interjected at that moment.

"Cale-nim! That must be a new power! Cale-nim, I really can't figure out your limits! Look at this beautiful flame! It is more beautiful and marvelous than the sun!"

'Ah, Clopeh.'
Cale ignored the voice of the crazy bastard. He could see that Saint Jack looked shocked after hearing what Clopeh just said, however, he ignored that as well and started to speak.

"Golems will probably appear in the Jungle as well."

The smile on Clopeh's face quickly disappeared.
Jungle and golems.
A terrible sight filled his mind already.

"That is why Miss Litana is currently retreating to their capital, Section 7."

Choi Han responded first after Cale was finished. He recalled the black liquid and urgently added on.

"Cale-nim! A large number of people will die if that black liquid or golems sweep away the Jungle!"

The Jungle did not have many mages or alchemists.
They had a majority of strong warriors who were strong in close combat rather than distance attacks, meaning they would probably get hit by that black liquid if any of the Golems' cores blew up.
Furthermore, there were a lot of citizens there as well.

"We need to stop that first!"
Choi Han flinched after shouting with a state of urgency.

"Of course, it is important to capture the Imperial Prince right now as well!"

It was important for his side to win.
However, Choi Han was listening to the voices of the people within the black despair. That was why he said the following.

"We cannot allow that thing to attack people or reach the forest! We need to save the people first!"

He could see a cold gaze in Cale's eyes at that moment. He was giving off a vibe that was hard to approach as he stood there surrounded by fire and light.

'Was I too emotional?'

It was the moment Choi Han had that thought on his mind.

"Calm down."

Cale calmly responded back.

"Do you think I don't know that?"

'Ah, he's his usual self.'
Choi Han noticed that Cale was his usual self even though he was giving off a different vibe.
That was why he was looking forward to what Cale would say next. Cale started to speak as soon as Hilsman landed on the white skeleton bird.

"I will now give out the orders."

Cale's voice would be heard on the white skeleton birds as well as on Maple Castle through the video communication device. Cale started to smile as he knew that would be the case.

– Human! What are you going to do? What do I have to do?

'What am I going to do?'
There was just one thing Cale was planning on doing.

"A shit show."

"Excuse me?"
"Cale-nim?"
– Young master Cale, what do you mean?
– Human! You're going to create a shit show? I want to do it too!

Everyone responded differently. However, the majority of them were confused.
On the other hand, Cale was putting things in simple terms.

He would properly destroy everything.

Cale was someone who accomplished the things he planned on doing.
That was why he changed roles with his group for the first time.

Cale had always been at the back. He always left other people to launch the attack.
However, it was different this time.
Cale continued to speak.

"Support me."

He would be at the center of this operation.
They should have all understood as they were all intelligent people.

– Young master Cale!

Rosalyn called out to him with concern while Choi Han's mouth opened and closed multiple times as he didn't know what to say. Cale patted the pale Choi Han's shoulder and calmly continued to speak.

"This is something I have to do."

Choi Han was almost bewitched by the black despair. That meant that he needed to keep Choi Han out of the battle.
It would be great if Mary could help, however, she would only have a low impact.
He needed something that would make a great impact.

Fire that burns evil.

All of the Empire's citizens as well as the Whipper Kingdom's citizens needed to see it.
This could end up becoming a continental war in the end after all.

"Cale-nim-"

The group looked toward him. Cale started to speak as Saint Jack looked at him with his hands together to pray.

"Everybody dodge."
"Excuse me?"

Cale calmly added on when Vice Captain Hilsman blankly asked back.

"I don't think I can control myself today."
"…Excuse me?"

Cale kicked off the ground while everybody stood there in confusion.

"Raon!"
– Sigh, alright, human!

The human surrounded in rose gold light started to freely fly in the sky. It was thanks to Raon's magic.
Cale could see the white skeleton birds flying as he did that.
They were not flying toward the golems.

"Smart bastard."

Cale started to smile while thinking about Clopeh.
He slowly headed down.
Tens of spells were flying over his head.

"As I expected."

Rosalyn was smart as well.
The spells that she had the Whipper Kingdom's mages launch were moving in the same direction as the white skeleton birds.

Baaaaang! Baaaaang! Bang!

The hundreds of spells from the Empire headed toward the white skeleton birds and the Whipper Kingdom's spells.

It was only possible thanks to that.
Cale could peacefully get face to face with the golems.
He looked toward Maple Castle. He could see an angry Rosalyn as well as Mary, Toonka, and Harol next to her.

They were supporting him as he had ordered.
They were making it so that Cale could take on the golems alone.

Cale commented as if he was sighing.

"I told you to support me."
"Guarding you is my way of supporting you, Cale-nim."
– He's right! I will support you like that too! Weak human, I can't help it because I am worried!

Choi Han and Raon were in the air with Cale.
Cale sighed and looked down.

"He, hehe-"

He then started to laugh.
Those large golems were looking up at him.
No, they were aiming for him. He could see the pilots as well. They were the ones who made these golems.

Cale slowly opened his arms.

– Can you hear it?

The Fire of Destruction asked.

"I can."

Cale could hear it as the golems got closer. It sounded like the cries of a large number of people. They were stuck inside the large golems' bodies and unable to leave.
There were the cries of Sir Rex's siblings, the children from the slums, and even the Roan Kingdom's citizens who were sold as slaves. They were all here.

The Fire of Destruction continued on.
– I had to hear my parents' cry like this in the past. My parents were captured inside the golems as well.

My parents had given their everything for me.
The Fire of Destruction had received so many things from his parents. He had to pay back as much as he had received.
That was the reason he had gone crazy, as well as the reason he needed to save the Western continent. He needed to become someone his parents could be proud of.

– I am someone who needs to burn up and disappear.

The fire continued to speak.

– But I will not burn alone.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
Cale slowly felt his heart beating faster as he closed his eyes.
The last thing he saw were the concerned expressions on the faces of his friends before his eyes fully closed.

He could only see darkness.
The voice of the fire appeared in his mind again.

– The things that need to burn with me are in front of me!
– Use me!

Cale decided to run wild for today.
He didn't know the limits of the Fire of Destruction just yet.
But why would a trash need to think about something like that?

'I just do whatever I feel like doing.'

Sometimes, doing what your heart told you to do was the right answer.

Ruuuumble.
The sky started to cry.

Choi Han looked up at the clear sky and clenched his sword on instinct. He could hear Raon's voice.

– It's coming. Choi Han, the fire is coming. The real fire is coming.

Raon's voice was shaking.
Raon subconsciously shouted in everyone's minds.

– Dodge! We need shields!

Cale's group heard the cry of the sky as they flinched at Raon's warning.

Ruuuuuuumble- Ruuuuuuuumble-

It was extremely loud.
The entire sky seemed to be rumbling.

"Follow me!"

Clopeh quickly led the white skeleton birds away while Rosalyn started to shout.

"Shield! Create as many shields as possible!"

A silver shield was created in front of Maple Castle at that moment. It was Raon's shield.
Cale slowly opened his eyes at that moment.
He could hear the Fire of Destruction's voice.

– Give it all you got.

Cale started to speak.

– Destroy it.
"Destroy it."

It was at that moment.

The sky became dyed red.
It was as if the sky had become dyed in blood.
However, it was not that the sky had changed color.
"W, what is that?"

The Empire's forces had plopped down on the ground.

It was the moment a beautiful gold light touched on the red thing in the sky.
A fearsome and holy light appeared in the sky as if a god was punishing them.

The sky split open.

No, that rose gold light struck down to the ground.
The light that was faster than sound flashed in front of everyone's eyes.

The sound soon followed.

Baaaaaaaaaang!
Baaaaang! Baaaaaang!

Tens of fiery thunderbolts landed on the ground. It covered the battlefield where the golems were standing.

"Ah-"

Rosalyn subconsciously stepped back and grabbed onto a pillar on the tower.
She could not breathe.
She could feel the pressure through the Dragon's silver shield.

"T, that is the true power of young master Cale's fire?"

Fire was the only thing she could see.
A fire with a gold tint to it. That fire burned strong as it shot up toward the sky.

Baaaaaang! Baaaaang!

He then saw it.
The large black golems were starting to break.
They were being destroyed.

They were disappearing without leaving any traces.

"Aaaaaaaaah!"
"Aaaah!"

The pilots in the golem's cockpits tried to activate the emergency eject plan.
However, everything was already melting.

"How did the golems melt by fire?!"

These strong existences that were even strong against aura were being melted by a fire.
The golem pilots were trying their best to escape.
It was at that moment.

They started to hear something else.

Screeeeeech- screeeeeeech-
Screeeech- Screeeeeeeeeeeeeech-

Then the black smoke shot up.
The fire melted the golems and their cores.

Neither the Empire's forces nor the Whipper Kingdom's forces could see the enemy formation anymore.

All they could see was fire.
They could not even tell where the sky ended and the ground began as they could only see fire.
The golems were burning inside that fire.

"H, how terrible."

Plop.
One of the Empire's nobles landed on their butt.

Screeeeeech- Screeeeeeeeech!
Screeeech! Screeeeeeech!
A cry that was worlds apart from earlier started to appear again as the golems melted.
The black smoke caught people's attention at that moment.

"…People, people-!"

The soldiers started to shake in fear.
The black smoke took the shape of a skull.

The alchemists in the cockpits could see this as well. It felt as if the eyes of those black smoke skulls were looking at them.
They heard the cries of the people who died by their hands while they saw these black smoke skulls staring at them.
The pilots could not help but plop down on the ground. The fire spread to their bodies but they could not move.

They could see a devil looking at them from behind the skull's eyes.
No, they could see the destroyer.

It was a man with hair as red as blood. Cale Henituse.
He was looking down from the sky with a cold gaze in his eyes.

One of the pilots started to mumble.

"I, it's over..."

The Empire and the Whipper Kingdom.
Neither could see the enemy anymore.
All they could see was a suffocating sea of fire. There was also the rising black skulls and the terrible screech.
But most importantly, there was Cale Henituse, the person at the center of it all.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]